Tape transmitter



Dec. 15, 1942. G. SIM

TAPE-TRANSMITTER Filed July 15, 1940 INVENTOR GORDON sm F IG. 6

F I G. 3

ATTORNEY:

. setting of transmitting contacts.

Patented Dec. 15, 1942 TAPE TRANSMITTER Gordon Sim, Chicago, 111., assignor to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application July 15, 1940, Serial No. 345,449

9 Claims.

The present invention pertains to control apparatus for printing telegraph systems and more particularly to tape operated devices for such systems.

'The principal object of the invention is to provide in a strip sensing apparatus a strip guiding means which is structurally simple and which may be quickly applied and adjusted with respect to the sensing elements of the sensing apparatus.

A feature of the invention is to provide in a record reader having a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for the record strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with the support to guide the strip, and means including a displaceable guide and clamping means therefor for removably securing said member to said support. V

Specifically, the invention is disclosed in connection with telegraphic tape transmitters,

wherein perforated tape is utilized to control the V the invention a tape lid is provided which is removably secured by means of a clamping device comprising a camming instrumentality associated with a displaceable tape guide; the lid being removably fixed between afixed' guide and said displaceable guide.

A better understanding of the foregoingobject and feature of the present invention maybe had from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tape transmitter embodying the tape guiding means of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan view of the tape transmitter; V

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective representation of the removable tape lid;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, showing a modified form of clamping device; and

Fig. .6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

The tap transmitter illustrated in Fig. 1, to which the device according to the present invention is applicable, is of the form disclosed in copending application Serial No. 345,456, filed July 15, 1940, by M. T. Goetz, to which reference may i be had for a detailed description thereof. Referring to Fig. l, the tape transmitter H comprises a base plate l2 on which are mounted supports [3, l4, l5, and 16 for a top plate ll. The mechanism contained between base plate i2 and According to" top plate ll comprises tape sensing instrumentalities and transmitting contacts with cams for their control, said control being determined by the cooperation between the sensing levers and the perforated tape, as set forth in saidcopending application.

Formed in the top plate I1 is a shallow groove l8 of tape width, by means of which the tape =30 is guided there'along, and mounted on the top plate and overlying groove I8 is a tape guide plate or lid I9. The lid l9 according to the specific embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is of the form shown in Fig. 4, and is preferably of transparent material. Moreover, lid i9 is provided with bevelled edges 2| and 22, and a later ally disposed stop lug 23. Lid I9 is also preferably bevelled atits end 24 to facilitate the introduction of a section of tape. A bar 25 is secured to top plate I! and provides a fixed stop or guide for the lid I9 to assure its proper placement with respect to the sensing pins. To allow for manufacturing tolerances for the distance between the shoulder of stop lug 23 and the slotted holes 33 and 34, the bar 25 is made adjustable by providing enlarged holes therein for the cap screws 29; Also mounted on plate I! and arranged parallel to bar 25 is a clamping member 26. As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the member 26 is provided with an obliquely positioned slotted hole 2'! which cooperates with a clamping screw 28. v Clamping screw 28 is provided with a knurled thumb portion and is threaded into plate 11. When the screw 28 is loosened, the member 26 is movable leftwardly and downwardly (as viewed in Fig. 2), thus increasing the distance between members 25 and 26 and permitting the ready re-' moval of lid IS. the plate H, the lid l 9, in being laid on the plate IT, is pressed against fixed bar 25, bringing portion 24 tightly against the end of bar 25 to properly locate lid IS with respect to the sensing pins. Then, the member 26 is urged toward the bar 25', the camming relation between slotted hole21 and screw 28 acting to readily clamp the lid l9 securely between the members 25 and 26, and, after the lid I9 is properly seated, the screw 28 is tight ened, thereby securely maintaining the lid I! in place. This arrangement possesses the advantage of requiring only a slight turn of screw 28, sufficient to loosen member 26, to render the lid i9 readily removable, such loosening permitting the member 26 to be cammed along screw 28. displacing member 26 in this manner, the lid l9 can be easily lifted out or slid along platev llto effect removal thereof.

Conversely, to apply lid l9 to v As shown in the enlarged sectional view in Fig. 6, the lid 19 is provided with a raised por tion 31 adapted to fit closely into the groove [8 and to project downwardly thereinto, the purpose of which is to positively confine the tape to a definite path to prevent the tape from becoming wedged between the lid l9 and plate 11, which might occur if the portion 31 were absent and lid 19 did not fit flatly and tightly on plate 11. That is, any opening between lid I9 and plate IT due to warpage of lid l9 will be compensated for by the enlarged portion 31, thus insuring a confined opening of definite dimensions for the tape 30 to be threaded through.

Tape lids of prior structures have been provided with holes to receive a series of sensing pins 3| carried on a corresponding series of tape sensing levers 32. The tape lid 19 of the present invention has been designed for use particularly with tape perforated in the manner disclosed in copending application Serial No. 274; 811, filed May 20, 1939, by Carl W. Swan, which comprises a tape wherein the perforations are not completely out out, but portions of the tape w material remain attached to the tape in the form of hinged lids over the apertures, which will yield tothe sensin pins in the telegraph transmitter. Due to the fact that these tape lids,

during the sensing operation, are pushed upwardly into the holes in the tape lid, the po-ssition is provided with slotted holes 33 and 34, the

slotted hole 33 serving to cooperate with the tape lids on one side of the row of feed holes, and slotted hole 34 cooperates with the tape lids on the opposite side. With this arrangement, the lids are easily cammed downwardly by the edge of the slotted hole when the tape is stepped along during transmission of signals.

The tape sensing pins 3| are normally held in their downward or withdrawn position by a bail (not shown) and are permitted once during each code cycle to rise to sense or feel a perforated tape, those pins which find a perforation will rise upwardly through the tape and into the slotted hole in the tape lid. Upon completion of the sensing operation, and upon return of the sensing pins 3| to their withdrawn position, a tape feed wheel 35 is rotated one step by a pawl and ratchet means, which action, through the instrumentality of feed pins 36 (which cooperate with the feed holes in the tape), cause the tape to be advanced one step to bring a new code combination of perforations over the sensing pins 3 I.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified form of clamping means wherein the clamping screw 4| is provided with an eccentric portion 42. The clamping member 43, instead of being provided with a slotted hole (similar to hole 21 in Fig. 2), has a hole therein of the conformation of the eccentric portion 42, so that when the screw 4| is rotated through 180, the member 42 will be moved leftwardly, under the control of the eccentric portion 42, thereby facilitating the removal of the tape lid l9. On the other hand, when the tape lid I9 is properly seated against the fixed plate 25, as previously described, the turning of screw 4| on its axis causes, through the eccentric portion 42, the movable member 43 to be brought against the lid 19 and in clamping relation with fixed member 25.

Although the invention has been disclosed and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is, of course, manifest that other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A record reader including a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, an instrumentality associated with said support for establishing the positionment of said member, and means including a displaceable guide and camming means cooperable with said instrumentality for removably securing said member to said support.

2. A record reader including a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, and means including a displaceable guide and eccentric means for removably securing said member to said support.

3. A telegraph transmitter including a plurality of contacts, elements for controlling the operation of said contacts, means for sensing signal indicia in a strip, means operated by said sensing means for setting said elements correspondingly, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, a displaceable guide, and camming means cooperable with said displaceable guide for removably securing said member to said support.

4. A telegraph transmitter including a plurality of contacts, elements for controlling the operation of said contacts, means for sensing signal indicia in a strip, means operated by said sensing means for setting said elements correspondingly, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, a displaceable guide, and eccentric means cooperable with said displaceable guide for removably securing said member to said support.

5. A record reader including a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, a displaceable guide, and camming means cooperablewith said displaceable guide for removably securing said member to said support.

6. A record reader including a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, a displaceable guide, and eccentric means cooperable with said displaceable guide for removably securing said member to said support.

7. A record reader including a plurality of sensing elements for sensing signal indicia in a record strip, a support for said strip to facilitate sensing of the indicia, an instrumentality associated with said support for establishing the positionment of said member, a member cooperating with said support to guide said strip, a displaceable guide, and eccentric means cooperable with said displaceable guide and said instrumentality for removably securing said member to said support.

8. In a tape guideway for telegraph tape, a lower guiding surface, a removable plate positioned above said surface and constituting with said surface a tape passageway, a fixed retaining element for engagement with one side of said plate, a beveled surface formed on the one side of said plate, a slidable retaining element having a complementary beveled surface for engagement with the beveled surface of said plate, said slidable member 'being slidable into or out of en agement with said plate, and means to retain said removable member in engagement with said plate 9. In a tape guidev'vay for telegraph tape, a lower tape guiding surface, a removable plate positioned above said surface, a fixed retaining element to engage one side of said plate, a slidable retaining element for engaging th other side of said plate, and means to retain said slidable element in engagement with said plate.

GORDON SIM; 

